On 20th September Anita will take on the Belfast Half Marathon to raise funds for two organisations that are incredibly important to her & our family: Live Life Wellbeing Centre & Sensibility NI.

Both charities provide vital support, opportunities and experiences for adults with additional needs, helping individuals to build confidence, develop independence and, most importantly, enjoy full and meaningful lives within their communities.

Anita has been incredibly fortunate to benefit from the services they provide. She absolutely thrives in the environments they create, surrounded by passionate, professional and creative people who see her abilities and encourage her to reach her potential.

Through their support, Anita and her peers have the opportunity to take part in a wide range of activities that are stimulating, educational, inclusive- and lots of fun!

🚌 Live Life Wellbeing Centre www.livelifewellbeingcentre.co.uk

Live Life are currently fundraising to purchase a new minibus.

Having safe, accessible and reliable transport is hugely important. It allows participants to get out into the community, experience new places, take part in activities and enjoy opportunities that may otherwise be out of reach.

💜 Sensibility NI https://www.facebook.com/share/193eA7y7Pm/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Sensibility NI works to support inclusion, equal access and future planning, helping individuals with profound disabilities and their families to live fulfilled lives as valued members of their communities.

They are currently involved in an exciting and significant project to renovate the internal courtyards at LARC, transforming them into accessible, welcoming spaces that can be enjoyed by all service users.

Both organisations make such a positive difference to Anita’s life - and to the lives of many others.

Every donation will be divided equally between Live Life Wellbeing Centre and Sensibility NI, helping these incredible organisations continue the work they do and create even more opportunities for the people they support.

Thank you for helping Anita run for two causes that mean so much to her ❤️

Every mile has a purpose. Every donation makes a difference.

Now for a bit about Anita….

Anita has autism and severe global developmental delay. She was assessed and diagnosed by the age of 4, and at that time, the prognosis for her future was pretty bleak.

Thankfully, Anita was given a place at Parkview Special School, where she remained until COVID brought her final year to an earlier-than- expected end. Moving into adult services was not an easy transition, but Anita eventually found the right place at Live Life, where she is absolutely thriving.

The growth Anita has made - mentally, physically and emotionally - has gone far beyond anything we could ever have imagined.

The support she received in her early years, at school and now at her day centre has helped her find her place in the world. She is open to trying new things and visiting new places- often leaving a lasting impression on everyone she meets.

One of those new experiences began at Wallace Parkrun.

Initially, Anita volunteered. Over time, week by week and month by month, she began to show interest in taking part herself.

We started very slowly. We developed a system using a double sided PEC (Picture Exchange Communication) card, with pictures representing walking and running, alongside a large handheld timer. It was a gradual process, but Anita kept coming back and progressing.

The parkrun community welcomed Anita with open arms. So many of the volunteers and participants have supported, encouraged and cheered her on, always helping her to do the very best that she can. We are incredibly grateful to every single person who has been part of that journey.

Anita's love of running continued to grow, and she has since become a member of JLRC (Jog Lisburn Running Club), where she continues to receive incredible support and encouragement.

And now Anita has set herself an enormous challenge: Anita is taking on the Belfast Half Marathon! 🏃🏻‍♀️

Some amazing running friends have signed up to complete the half marathon alongside her forming her support crew. Their commitment means so much.

Training for 13.1 miles is a huge challenge for anyone, but for Anita it brings additional challenges. She isn’t always able to tell us if something is beginning to hurt or if she is becoming tired, so throughout every run we have to carefully watch her body language and learn to understand what she is communicating to us in other ways.

We began training at the start of July, and you may have spotted us running around Lisburn - we’re currently out four days a week!

The miles are gradually building. So far, Anita’s longest training run has been 9.5 miles. Then, on Sunday 9th August, she took part in the Legends of the Lakes 10k - and she was amazing! The photograph on this page was taken afterwards, and captures how proud we are of her.

We would love for you to support Anita as she works towards the Belfast Half Marathon. Every donation, no matter how big or small, will help make this incredible journey even more special.

Thank you to everyone who has supported Anita so far- from her family, friends, day centre and support teams, to the wonderful parkrun and running communities who continue to believe in her.

13.1 miles. One incredible woman. A whole team behind her.

Let,s get Neets to that finish line! 🎉

Thank you for taking the time to visit this justgiving page.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.